Conventional wisdom suggests that Sydney was and still is the high energy capital of Australia. During the 1980s and 1990s however, one band helped dispel that myth. The Seminal Rats were one of the first bands outside of Sydney to embrace the high energy rock 'n' roll which bands like Radio Birdman had produced in the late seventies. There had been others like the Chosen Few and legendary Sick Things and the Rats helped set up a high energy rock 'n' roll scene in Melbourne which lasts to this very day. The Rats came together in the early '80s, first as the Flipper inspired band, Skippy. Skippy mutated into the Seminal Rats around 1983. They were heavily influenced by the Detroit rock sounds of the Stooges, MC5, The Sonics Rendezvous Band as well as the first wave of US hard-core eg. Black Flag, Bad Brains. The beauty of the Rats was that they were also influenced by bands not necessarily associated with punk rock. For instance, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix and John Coltraine were all cited as favorites of the Rats. Live, the Seminal Rats were one of the best high energy bands playing, not only in Australia, but in the world. Their records released on Mr Spaceman show just how high energy their shows were. Omnipotent stands as their best recording from the period. Furious guitars, killer drumming, gruff as fuck vocals and killer tunes - they had it all. The band would go on to share stages with such seminal influences as Johnny Thunders, Deniz Tek and Dead Moon. The Rats continued rocking Melbourne till the late '90s. Sadly founding member guitarist Mick Weber passed away in early 1999, bringing an end to one of the best high energy rock 'n' roll bands this planet has ever produced. I saw the Rats many times and they always rocked. They will be sadly missed. JIM from Red Shift (The Mr. Spaceman Label 1985-1990) 1999.Spain - sorry Basque Country's - best Australian label, Bang! Records has made ,in 2007 , a double CD collection of 27 songs : The essential Seminal Rats 1984-1991 available here

French power trio from Le Havre (Little Bob Story & City Kids rock 'n' roll town) , Fixed Up was very influenced by australian rock and by Wilko Johnson (& so Mick Green) for the use of the Telecaster. "Take a look at me " is their first single on Sonics records (created by Stephane Saunier : Teenage records, Nulle part ailleurs...).

After being ejected from punk group The Wall (3 singles) in 1979, singer Ian Lowery and guitarist Nick Clift (ex-Debutants) formed Ski Patrol, along with Pete Balmer (ex-Stranded, later to record with Fad Gadget) on bass and Bruce Archibald on drums.

Ian Lowery had been signed to Killing Joke’s Malicious Damage label as leader of the group Ski Patrol. Politics and the general tensions that seemed endemic to the Killing Joke scene led Ian to leave Ski Patrol and recruit long time friend of Jaz Coleman - Alan Cole on drums, Kris Jozajtis on guitar (now Dr Kris Jozajtis at Stirling University) and Mark Whiteley, from Wales, on bass to form another, more satisfying but no less intense project - The Folk Devils.The sound was a bastardised blend of punk, blues, and amphetamine fuelled angst with the music often walking a fine line between a patchwork of brilliant musicianship and violence. The political and ideological canvass for the Folk Devils was the miners strike, Thatcher’s Britain, mass unemployment and the flooding of Britains street with heroin and despair.

Ian Lowery died in 2001 having continued to work throughout the late 80s and early 90s the with Nigel Pulsford of Bush on the King Blank project and the Ian Lowery Band.

The Red Rockers were a great punk band from New Orleans who took their name from the Dils song of the same name. Inspired by groups like the Clash, Stiff Little Fingers and the Dils, they started off as the Rat Finks doing cover tunes of aforementioned groups, then changed their name and released the "Guns of Revolution" single before moving to San Francisco. There they hooked up with 415 Records and put out this great LP in 1981. Despite popular claims, this was not produced by Jello Biafra, something which has been constantly perpetrated on rare punk lists for years. He does, however, sing backing vocals on their punk-country cover of "Folsom Prison Blues." That said, the sound quality is excellent, and their raunchy but melodic sound is heard in full force on this CD. Songs like "Teenage Underground," "Know What I Think," and "Can You Hear" are totally rockin'. "Dead Heroes" also hits home with its lyrics "We've gotta fight - I don't know why/We've gotta die - tell me why/I've got to kill - that's the American way" that unfortunately still ring true today. After this LP, their original drummer left and was replaced by former Stiff Little Fingers drummer Jim Reilly, and they were signed to CBS, for whom they recorded two subsequent LPs, "Good As Gold" and "Schizophrenic Circus", neither of which come close to capturing the raw energy on this album. They did score a minor A.M. radio hit with "China," but much of the magic was gone and the slick major label production didn't do them justice. But, stick with this one and you can hear how great they were in the early days.

The frontman for punk survivors Social Distortion, singer/guitarist Mike Ness was born April 3, 1962, in Stoneham, MA. Raised primarily in Orange County, CA, he was kicked out of his parents' house at age 15 and spent the years which followed in and out of jail and experimenting with drugs; after forming Social Distortion in 1979, Ness' struggles with addiction deepened, and after recording the now-classic "Mommy's Little Monster" in 1983, his self-destructive lifestyle (vividly captured in the 1985 documentary Another State of Mind) nearly broke up the band. After getting clean and sober, Ness reconvened Social Distortion for 1988's rootsy "Prison Bound", followed in 1990 by the group's self-titled major-label debut, which launched the hit "Ball and Chain." After 1992's "Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell", however, the band went on an extended hiatus, not resurfacing until "White Light, White Heat, White Trash" four years later. In 1999, Ness made his solo debut with "Cheating at Solitaire". A covers collection, "Under the Influences", followed later that same year.

In one sense, it seems a little strange that Mike Ness would choose to record a solo album since he always appeared to be the driving force behind Social Distortion. On the other hand, Social Distortion is a full-fledged rock band, which means they're a democracy -- and that might have gotten a little constricting after nearly 20 years in the same outfit. Hence, Ness decided to take a solo detour in 1999 with "Cheating at Solitaire". The title slyly hints at the fact that he didn't do this alone, and there are a stunning array of guests on the album, including contributions from Brian Setzer, Bruce Springsteen, and members of the Royal Crown Revue. Even if the record is loaded with cameos, it remains very much the work of Mike Ness, emphasizing his love of American roots music. Sure, there's hard, punky rock & roll on the record, but things get really interesting when he goes for straight country, blues, rockabilly, and folk. He's dabbled with these genres before, but he's never quite been as straightforward as this, nor has he been as successful. Occasionally, it may sound like he's tackling too much at once, but that's refreshing in a time when most rockers are playing it safe. And that is certainly one thing "Cheating at Solitaire" never does. Allmusic

Two steps back / Today is mine / It's about time / 1984 / Feel it ! / Lisa sez /When it began / Flawless heart / Robyn / LOVEnROCKnROLLnHOWTHEYRELATE / After you / Cult of the psychic fetus / No matter what / All I want for Christmas / Can't hardly wait.

The Media Whores are a powerpop band that likes to rock. Comprising the pop elements of The Who, Elvis Costello, and The Clash, together with the rock elements of The Beat and The Plimsouls, this group aspires to the lofty Cheap Trick brand of high energy Pop... and damn the torpedoes! No wimpy shoe-gazer stuff here... this band ROCKS! The Media Whores started in 1998, and hail from Columbus, Ohio, in the USA. They've released tons of records, each filled to the brim with loud rockin' guitars and ultra-melodic tunes. They've also played hundreds of high-energy shows all over America. The band has been praised by such diverse magazines as Rock'n'roll Outbreak ("This is the best kind of power pop: the songs are perfect, and the guitars and drums flat out ROCK!") and MAXIMUMROCKNROLL ("Really cool sing-a-long parts and great melodic guitar riffs"). In a review of The Media Whores' debut CD, Amplifier Magazine gushed "Every track on this album sounds like a gem from radio's glory days!" So if you like powerpop (with the emphasis on POWER), check out the rockin' tunes of "Master Of Pop Hits," the latest slab of powerpop rock from The Media Whores, available on Screaming Apple Records!

Formed in the D.C. area in 1987 by college buddies Ted Warren, Tom Heyman, Christopher Horner and Keith Donnellan, GTB recorded and released their self-titled debut, a revved-up rockabilly LP, in 1988 and quickly moved north to Philadelphia. Many whiskey-soaked nights playing in all kinds of places in Philly and New York City (alternative clubs as well as old-man alchy bars) toughened up the band considerably. Their 1991 follow-up, "Love Lust and Trouble", was light years ahead of their first release. With almost any hint of rockabilly behind them, the band just got tougher and tougher, finally hooking up with producer, vibe-man, and father figure Eric "Roscoe" Ambel. From there things took off. The addition of Ted Popadopolous on bass solidified things, and a deal with roots rock label ESD led to 1994's "Anytime, Anywhere", their classic. With Eric Ambel once again in the producer's chair the band followed it up with the quieter "GTB...And Other Crimes", also a winner. The album was mostly cover tunes and was recorded in one night.

The band had developed a following in Germany and toured there extensively. Glitterhouse released most of their catalog there as well. In 1997 the final disc, "Waiting Around for the Crash", was released on the about-to-go-under ESD. It marked continued improvement in sound and songwriting, but still didn't top "Anytime, Anywhere". GTB held their "final clearance sale" in 1997 and is sadly missed, at least in Philadelphia and on the lower east side of NYC. A posthumous release, "Almost a Decade", combined unreleased demos, live tracks and B-sides.

Had The Voodoo Dolls formed in, say, 1997, rather than 1987, they likely would have been riding the modern garage-rock popularity wave with the likes of The Hives, The Mooney Suzuki, The Hellacopters etc. They had great songs (mostly thanks to guitarist Evan Shore, now of Muck & the Mires, then formerly of The Pets, The House Pets, and The Queers), dueling guitars (courtesy of Shore and Dave Hollywood Harrison), and a great lead vocalist in the form of ex- Prime Mover ,Cam Ackland. Rhythm section? Well, they were always great, but the rhythm section changed rather often in this band. One night in Bethlehem, PA, Original Sins leader JT said of them : " This must be what it was like to see the MC5". These guys were a POWERFUL rockn’roll band.

Larry Wallis began work on a solo album in early 1978, recording with Deke Leonard, Big George Webley, and Pete Thomas; unfortunately, record company politics saw the record shelved (it remains unreleased) and Wallis moved on. Further stints alongside Mick Farren were interspersed by gigs with Wayne Kramer and a decade-long songwriting career with Dr. Feelgood. A mid-'80s Pink Fairies reunion was bookended by Wallis' own bands, the Death Commandos of Love and the Redbyrds, while Wallis finally released this solo album, "Death in the Guitarfternoon" in 2001.

Wallis' pedigree reaches back to the early '70s, and a roll call of bands that included free-festival favorites the Entire Sioux Nation, former T. Rex percussionist Steve Took's Shagrat, Blodwyn Pig, Lancaster's Bomber, and, briefly, metal heroes UFO, before he joined the Pink Fairies in time for their third (and possibly finest) album, "Kings of Oblivion". The band broke up following its release and, in 1975, Wallis reappeared in Motörhead -- a move that the guitarist unhesitatingly describes as preordained: "It was just as if the serendipity fairy had arrived, Lemmy had been 'imprisoned in Hawkwind,' and was now flexing his leathern wings.... It just had to be."

Together, Wallis and Lemmy alchemized one of the hardest-hitting bands of the entire pre-punk era, and the handful of shows that the group played during this period was nothing short of the absolute revision of all that had taken place before. Certainly their label of the time, UA, was absolutely baffled by the band, sending them into the studio first with Dave Edmunds, then with former beat boom survivor Fritz Fryer, before deciding that nothing the band did was actually marketable. The band was dropped from the label and the tapes were buried in a lead-lined box, figuratively if not literally. And they remained there until -- surprise, surprise -- Motörhead became late-'70s superstars, and suddenly anything with their name attached seemed eminently saleable indeed. "On Parole", titled for one of Wallis' own compositions, was released in 1978 and has been available ever since.Wallis departed Motörhead around the same time as they were dropped and, through early 1976, he led a revitalized Pink Fairies lineup around the London club scene as it lurched from pub rock to punk. By late summer, the Fairies had signed with Stiff Records and released the single "Between the Lines," the label's second-ever release. They also appeared at the first Mont de Marsan Punk Festival that August, a gathering of the clans that pitched the likes of Nick Lowe, Little Bob Story, and Eddie & the Hot Rods into the middle of rock's latest firestorm. Of them all, the Fairies came out on top, but with a sense of timing that they had long since perfected, the group announced that this moment of absolute triumph was the ideal time to break up. Allmusic

The guiding fire behind the latter-day Pink Fairies, a founding member of Motörhead, and a house producer during Stiff Records' first flash of maverick brilliance, Larry Wallis is one of the legends of the British rock underground, an astonishing guitarist, and author, too, of one of the classic singles of the punk era, "Police Car." He was one quarter of the Takeaways supergroup (alongside Nick Lowe, Sean Tyla, and Dave Edmunds); he blazed across Mick Farren and the Deviants' seminal "Screwed Up" EP; and he was single-handedly responsible for proving to the punk rock cognoscenti that long hair (Wallis' reached past his armpits) wasn't necessarily a sign of old-fart redundancy. In an age when Angry Young Man-style guitar was valued above any other musical attribute, Wallis played angrier (and younger) than virtually anyone you could name.

...Wallis remained with Stiff, recording "Police Car" with Hot Rods bassist Paul Gray and drummer Steve Nicol for release in spring 1977. He also produced the first two singles by the Adverts, including the Top 20 hit "Gary Gilmore's Eyes," and became a star turn on the autumn 1977 Live Stiffs tour of Britain. Billed alongside Ian Dury, Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, and Wreckless Eric, he took the stage with an all-star band dubbed the Psychedelic Rowdies; the Live Stiffs album includes an absolutely incendiary "Police Car" . Allmusic

This band from Gipuzkoa (Spain) is founded in 1991 by Iñaki Urizabal (drums), Iker Álvarez (bass, backing vocals), José Luis Aparicio (guitar, backing vocals), Iñigo Agirrebalzategi (guitars, backing vocals) and Jon Iturbe (vocals). In 1999 they issue their first LP, successful among press and public. After that they make a tour across Spain that makes them be considered a live band. After splitting and trying other projects, The Hot Dogs! reunifies in 2004, with Iker replacing José Luis as guitarist and Carlos Alonso as new bassist. In 2006 they record "III"(Rock on records), a record that shows some maturity, a huge chemistry achieved thanks to many years together and a great class. They are preparing a new record. More in MySpace.

The rocking Bethlehem, Pennsylvania garage that incubated the Original Sins hasn't had a new coat of paint or even a serious spring cleaning in ages. Led by diminutive howler/guitarist J.T. (John Terlesky), the quartet — which didn't change, lineup-wise, save for one drummer change, between its 1987 debut and 1996's Bethlehem — has stayed true to its chosen era, re-creating the down and dirty organ-fueled excitement and atmosphere of '60s punk bands like the Standells and Seeds. Synthesizing convincing originals from standard ingredients, the Sins have been remarkably consistent in their quality control, trying new vintages now and then but keeping stylistic ambition from overtaking them (like the Chesterfield Kings) while steering clear of the sense that they've done it all before (like the Lyres).

After the modest and concise garage freakouts of the first two albums, "Self Destruct" (dedicated to, among others, "everyone who knows anger can be fun") delivers a surprising level of domineering intensity, beginning with the cover photo of J.T. with a grin on his face and a pistol held to his head. The new-sound Sins are a snarling psychedelic powerhouse, a thickly seething cauldron of hyperactive feedback and wah-wah, rabid vocals, galloping rhythms and lyrics about drugs and sex. Some of the longer songs (the teetering-on-the-brink "Black Hole" " captures acid-rock's disorienting chaos with a visceral impact few other bands can touch. The two CD/cassette bonuses are from a 1990 single

The Beasts of Bourbon grew from simply being a side project to become a true supergroup of the Australian pub rock scene. Forming in Sydney in 1983, the original Beasts lineup comprised Tex Perkins (vocals, later of the Cruel Sea), Spencer P. Jones(guitar, also with the Johnnys), James Baker (drums, and a Hoodoo Guru , Dubrovniks , ...) and a pair of Scientists in guitarist Kim Salmon and bassist Boris Sudjovic. The band began playing together in small venues in Sydney, recording their first album, "The Axeman's Jazz" in a single afternoon in 1984. Despite the album becoming an underground success, the Beasts continued to be just a side project for its members. It wasn't until 1988 that this situation began to change. With both the Johnnys and the Scientists imploding, the Beasts reformed to record arguably their best album, "Sour Mash". The swamp-rock of "The Axeman's Jazz" had given way to a fusion of blues-based pub rock and punk with great effect. 1990's "Black Milk" expanded on this idea. 1991's "The Low Road" saw the addition of two new members. Baker and Sudjovic left the group to concentrate on their band the Dubrovniks, and were replaced by Tony Pola and Brian Hooper from Salmon's then band the Surrealists. In 1993, a double album "From the Belly of the Beasts" was released to mark the group's ten years together, and the group toured extensively in support of the album. Following the tour, it appeared as if the Beasts would announce their demise. Salmon left the group to concentrate on the Surrealists and Perkins' group the Cruel Sea was achieving huge success with their album "The Honeymoon is Over". However, the group reformed in 1996 with former Divinyl Charlie Owen on guitar and released "Gone" in 1997. The album received lukewarm reviews, but managed to produce a minor single in the form of "Saturated".

In 2003, they reformed to record a live album, "Low Life", released on Spooky Records. In 2006, they reformed to play in the Big Day Out Festival around Australia and New Zealand.In late December 2006 it was announced that the Beasts of Bourbon had signed an exclusive worldwide recording deal with and they are set to release their new album "Little Animals" on April 21, 2007 .Recently the group played alongside other Autralian bands and artists at the Rockin' for Rights concert, which protested the unfair Workchoices legislation of the Howard Government. After a show in Berlin in April 2008, the group cancelled their remaining tour dates and ended the band. No reason was given for the group's split.

In December 1982, Janie Jones herself, backed by members of the Clash and the Blockheads and credited as Janie Jones & the Lash, recorded a 7" single, "House of the Ju-Ju Queen", which was written and produced by Joe Strummer and released on Big Beat in 1983. Strummer as well as Mick Jones also played guitar on the record, together with Paul Simonon on bass, Mickey Gallagher on keyboards, Mel Collins on saxophone, and Charley Charles on drums. The B-side of the single was a cover of James Brown's "Sex Machine".

"Janie Jones" is also a song by the Clash on their eponymous debut album . The subject of the song, Janie Jones, was a famous madam in London during the 1970s and had been a pop singer during the 1960s.Legendary film maker, Martin Scorsese, well known as an ardent fan of The Clash, claimed in the book "Scorsese on Scorsese", that he considers "Janie Jones" to be the greatest British rock and roll song.

The Humpers is a garage punk band formed in 1989 led by Scott "Deluxe" Drake, formerly of The Suicide Kings. Despite being based out of Long Beach, California, they first won acclaim in Yugoslavia, where their debut EP, "My Machine", was released. They released two full-lengths for Sympathy for the Record Industry and three for Caroline/Epitaph.

"Positively Sick on 4th Street" gloriously hearkens back to the classic days of the late-'70s New York CBGB's punk scene of Ramones, Heartbreakers, Dead Boys fame. Unlike California pop-punk predecessors, the Descendents, and contemporaries, Green Day and the Muffs, the Humpers give us a powerful dose of back alley grime surrounded by tight Chuck Berry guitar riffs and jerking rhythmic progressions. Allmusic

" This Bamboos lp has all the tracks from the original cassette only demo tape and both sides of the first single ("Snuff"/"Virginia"). What a pity that no one has actually gotten around to putting this lot together officially. Unfortunately this is just a collection of amateur analogue to digital transfers, distilled by a mate from his old Bamboos vinyl and neither offered nor intended for sale to the public, but even given the relatively lo-fi nature of the underlying technology behind this disc, these songs still sound remarkably fresh.The Bamboos repertoire was a strange mixture of upbeat cowpunk, sometimes bordering on downright poppy ("Snuff" in particular has a distinct Hoodoo Gurus atmosphere about it), underpinning some extremely dark lyrics. I hesitate to speculate about what private fixations or frustrations might have led Craig Hallsworth to write so many songs about dead and dying women (and even one that isn't still "loves a graveyard in the rain").I think there's fairly widespread agreement that the evocative and haunting "With Which To Love You" was their finest moment, but there were plenty of other moments worth celebrating and preserving too. I'm thinking particularly of "Law Of A Gun", "Drunk Highway", "To Hell With Love" and "Born Killer".So what's the point of me telling you about a record that you can't buy because no one has both enough interest and sufficient funds to release it? None really; I just wanted to talk to someone about it and I figured that this here country muster was the only chance I am ever likely to get..." I-94 Bar

"Rarer The Rocking Horseshit" is a vinyl reissue of what used to be a cassette only demo tape. It sounds real good, too...much better than cassette-only releases usually sound. The first side shows the Bamboos as good as they can be, and they can really be good. Stuff like "Drunk Highway" and "Serious Drink" leaves you feeling that if the Long Ryders could play this sort of stuff as well, they'd have gone somewhere with it...these songs really burn with their dark country punk feel. But then they bring you back down with stuff like what's on side two, which has both sides of the first 45, the fairly duff "Partner", and another track, "Dead Girl" that is musically nowhere but has some really funny lines (like "When I'm with you I feel so alive").

THE BAMBOOS Born killer lp 1986 Citadel records flacTo meet me /The strangers girl / To hell with love / Born killer / Comes as no surprise / At the hanging / With which to love you / Winded .Produced by the Bamboos.

Exploding White Mice was formed in Adelaide, South Australia in early 1984, for the sole purpose of playing a set of covers at a friend's party. The first line-up consisted of Gerry Barrett ( guitar ), Giles Barrow ( guitar ), Paul Gilchrist ( vocals ), Andy MacQueen ( bass ) and Craig Rodda ( drums ). The band wore it's influences proudly on it's sleeve, those being: 60's garage punk ( Sonics, 13th.Floor Elevators etc. ), 70's American punk rock ( Stooges, MC5, New York Dolls, Ramones etc. ), and 70's Australian rock and roll ( The Saints & Radio Birdman ). After playing a couple of parties, the band ( to its surprise ) was offerred a show at an inner - city pub, which began a rapid growth in popularity. Shows were characterised by high energy, masses of dyed black hair, brutal volume and relentless posing, all of which went down a storm in the already healthy Adelaide scene. Other bands playing around town at the time included The Spikes, Mad Turks, Screaming Believers, Primevils and The Plague, all of whom would, along with the Mice, soon release records on the Greasy Pop label. In late 1984 Gerry Barrett left the band, to be replaced by guitarist Jeff Stephens, who remained a member until the band's last gig in May 2000. At this point, the band began to write it's own songs, and was also asked to record a version of The Stooges' "Down On The Street", for the upcoming Greasy Pop Compilation LP "An Oasis In A Desert Of Noise". Whilst in the studio, the band recorded four more songs, which would eventually appear on it's first record, "A Nest Of Vipers". By early 1985 the Mice had become one of the bigger live drawcards on the Adelaide rock and roll scene, which necessitated the band securing a full-time drummer to replace Craig Rodda, who was on temporary loan from the Screaming Believers. Ex-Zippy & The Coneheads drummer David Bunney was recruited, and the band returned to the studio to record Dangerous, the final song for the A Nest Of Vipers mini-LP. Assisted by the bands near-constant touring of Australias east coast, the album became the highest-selling independent release in Australia in 1985. In 1987 the Mice released their first full-length album "Brute Force & Ignorance", from which 2 singles were released. Guitarist Giles Barrow left the band in 1988, to be replaced by Dave Mason ( ex-Acid Drops and Primevils ). This line-up released one single before Mason also departed in late 1989, to be replaced by Jack Jacomas, just in time for the Mice to support their heroes, The Ramones, in Adelaide. Overseas interest in the band ( and the Australian scene in general ) was high, and so in April 1990 the Mice toured Europe for the first time, playing for 8 weeks in Holland, Germany, Italy, Austria & Belgium. This tour coincided with the release of their "Exploding White Mice" LP, both in Australia and in Europe. Upon returning to Australia the Mice resumed playing and touring until Jack Jacomas left in late 1990, after which the band continued with Stephens as the lone guitarist. The Mice had an albums worth of new songs ready to record and, after a lengthy break during which unsuccessful attempts were made to find a new lead singer, went into the studio to record the "Collateral Damage" album as a 3-piece, with Stephens handling lead vocals. The band had always preferred a twin-guitar sound, and consequently enlisted guitarist Andrew Bunney ( brother of David and also ex-Coneheads ) to complete the line-up to tour Australia and promote "Collateral Damage". In 1990 the group toured Europe and released a half-studio, half-live self-titled LP on Normal Records. Shortly after, Gilchrist left the group and Jeff Stephens took over on lead vocals; David's brother Andrew Bunney replaced Stephen on guitar. In the summer of 1991 they began recording again at Soundtrack Studios. However, when the Greasy Pop label went out of business that year, they could not find a local distributor for the album, and ended up releasing the record on Normal Records in Germany and NKVD Records in the United States. The group's final release was 1994's "We Walk Alone", on Au Go-Go.

It was this line-up which saw the band undertake its second European tour in 1996, playing in the same countries as in 1990, but also in France, Spain and Slovenia, as well as one gig in Tokyo on the way over. The band also recorded a Europe-only 7 single (Prepare To Die/Zero) to coincide with the tour. After returning to Australia, Andrew Bunney left the band in late 1996, and (after another long break ) guitarist Chris Murphy (ex-Numbskulls) joined in early 1998 to complete the final Mice line-up, which played in and around Adelaide until its final gig, friday the 16th of April 1999 .

"..."With Which To Love You" is a real corker, the best of the two songs here. "Winded" follows the typical Bamboos pattern; they have enough good songs to keep you interested, but it seems like half their stuff is totally useless..." NKVD

The Bamboos were formed in 1984 by Craig Hallsworth in the West Australian township of Collie. The band consisted of Hallsworth (guitar, vocals), Mark Gelmi (bass), Roger Russell (guitar) and Tony Chiallella (drums). In 1985 Russell was replaced by Greg Hitchcock (The Go-Starts) and in 1986 Chiallella was replaced by Shakir Pichler (The Kryptonics). The band’s brand of raw guitar trash and country-swamp rock caught the attention of Citadel Records boss John Needham and they went on to record and release the single "Snuff", the flexi-disk "Dead Girl", the mini lp "Born Killer" and the album "Rarer Than Rocking Horse Shit".

After two national tours Pichler left to form his own rockabilly band The Howlin MoonDoggies and was replaced by Russell Hopkinson. Some of the bands that they play support for include The Lime Spiders, Johnny Thunders, The Dammed, The Johnnys, Hoodoo Gurus , The Cramps...

The band is chiefly remembered today for the number of ex-members who have gone to feature prominently in high profile Australian artists :

-Graig Hallsworth went on to form The Healers, Wild Palms, Zuvuya, Outstation and Tangled Star.

-Greg Hitchcock went on to play with The Neptunes, The Kryptonics, New Christs, The Verys, Challenger 7, You Am I, The Dearhunters, and The Monarchs.

-Russell Hopkinson joined Nursery Crimes and then You Am I. Hopkinson has also played with Australian punk act Radio Birdman and manages record label and distribution company Reverberation Records.

-Shakir Pichler formed The Howlin MoonDoggies, Fink, Brutal Pancho and toured with Amphetish and US band Wish You Weres. Pichler also established his own record label, Sexbeat Records and has appeared in a number of feature films, Mission Impossible II, On Our Selection, Fat Pizza: The Movie and television series Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King. Wikipedia

" ...If "Virginia" was the only Bamboos record you ever heard, you would probably dismiss them out of hand. This is a song that just goes together horribly; like the Bam Balams these guys favor a country sound, but they have a darker, moodier feel to them that works best on some of their lp cuts. "Snuff" has some really gnarly sounding guitar and does a fair bit to atone for the shortcomings of the A side. ..." NKVD

Radalj got his start with Perth punk band The Exterminators who, via The Invaders, eventually became The Scientists in May 1978. Their earliest line-up were Kim Salmon (later a crucial member of the Beasts of Bourbon and The Surrealists) and ex-Victims drummer James Baker.Radalj stayed long enough in The Scientists to appear on their debut single, "Frantic Romantic", long regarded as one of the most collectable artefacts of the Australian punk rock era.

His next band Rockets issued one single, "Mean Mistress" before Roddy relocated to Sydney where, in January 1981, he joined Baker, Dave Faulkner (another Perth expatriate and ex-leader of the Victims) and Kimble Rendall (ex-XL Capris) as founders of Le Hoodoo Gurus. Their debut single, "Leilani" on the Phantom label (October, 1982) was an instant classic: it had three lead guitars and no bass.Just as the single appeared Radalj left the band (which became Hoodoo Gurus) to form irreverent cow-punk trio The Johnnys, nevertheless he had been a Guru long enough to have co-written with Faulkner several outstanding songs - "Leilani", "(Let's All) Turn On", "Arthur" and "Death Ship"- which appeared on the band's 1984 debut album, Stoneage Romeos. Hoodoo Gurus iconic status on the Australian rock scene was acknowledged when they were inducted into the 2007 ARIA Hall of Fame.

Once again, Radalj only remained long enough with The Johnnys to appear on one single, "I Think You're Cute". In 1985, Radalj together with James Baker (ex Hoodoo Gurus) released a single, a cover of The Troggs’ "I Can’t Control Myself" with an original, "Born to Be Punched" on the B-side. The single was credited to The James Baker Experience. In 1986 Radalj teamed up again with Baker (by then ex-Beasts of Bourbon), plus Boris Sujdovic (ex-Rockets, The Scientists, Beasts of Bourbon) and Peter Simpson (ex-Spectre's Revenge) as the Adorable Ones. Within a year the Adorable Ones had renamed themselves the Dubrovniks in honour of the fact that both Radalj and Sujdovic had been born in the historical Croatian city of Dubrovnik. The band's clattering yet accessible rock'n'roll appealed on record in the shape on two 1988 singles for the Citadel label, "Fireball of Love" and "My Coo Ca Choo" and contributed to their album Dubrovnik Blues before Radalj was involved in fisticuffs onstage at the Greek Theatre in Melbourne and he moved on again. His next sideline project, the Punjabbers, issued one single, "Rock'n'Roll Loveletters", on the original Timberyard label in 1988.

With backing from his own band, Roddy Ray'Da & the Surfin' Caesars (including Bill Gibson, ex-Eastern Dark and Jim Leone and Paul Larsen from the Celibate Rifles), Radalj released his debut solo album in 1989. Produced by ex-Radio Birdman and Hitmen member Chris Masuak, Lost Lonely and Vicious was an immediate success on the Australian independent charts. As well as producing the single "Dynamite Party" the album included a rip-roarin’ cover of the Dictators’ "Master Race Rock". The second album, "Orgazmatazz", was brimming with dexterous trash rock and a healthy sense of the absurd, as epitomised by tracks such as "Hammer the Motor", "Hellcat's Howl", "Galaxy Girl" and "Evil Woman in a Mini Skirt".Following one more album in 1993, "Mouthful of Chicken", Radalj returned to Perth in order to attend to family matters.

In 2005 he released "Guns Girls & Guitars" on the Timberyard Records label, the album was put together over a lengthy period, in four different studios, with the aid of fellow musicians Murry Cook, Matt Reddell, Mick Radalj, Simon Goodridge, Reg Zar, Lucy DeSoto, Rose Tattoo's Pete Wells, Chris Welsh, Bob Spencer and others. In late 2006 Radalj formed his latest band, The Smokin’ Eldorados, sharing guitar and vocal duties with Matthew de la Hunty (Tall Tales & True), and initially with drummer Reg Zar (The Elks, Bhundu Boys and with Jeff Martin from The Tea Party) and bassist James Rogers (The Fault, Harlequin League). Rogers being replaced with Laurie Sinagra (sound engineer, who has worked with Jebediah, Downsyde, Dom Mariani, Sodastream, Gyroscope and Turnstyle) and Zar with Tim Bates.

Radalj (with de la Hunty and Jeff Strong) supplied new music for Greenhead (2007) a 55-min movie directed/produced by Mark Howlett with Sinagra as Sound Producer/Engineer and starring Kelton Pell, de la Hunty and Derek Kreckler.

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One way street / Doghouse / Liquor lover / Helen / Ain't comin' back / I won't lie / Treat her right / Three times enough / Sugar mama / Don't point your finger at the guitar man / Rockin' Robin / You can't please all the people all the time.

or many discerning fans, Nine Below Zero far outpaced the Jam wannabes that doomed Britain's so-called mod revival era. They even opened for the Who, whose favorite producer, Glyn Johns, oversaw this second A&M album. (Like other 1979-era revivalist bands, the group has re-formed on an intermittent basis.) Nine Below Zero show themselves as sharp players with plenty of hooks up their sleeves. Stix Burkey and Peter Clark whack out a disciplined rhythm attack without fussiness or flourishes, leaving the interplay to singer/harpist and the main songwriter, lead guitarist Denis Greaves . Greaves' tunes successfully execute '60s R&B toughness, yet are updated enough to grace a teen scooter fanatic's good books. "One Way Street" is a punchy, doing-it-my-way anthem ("They told me to go by the book/But look at the time that it took"), while the roughhouse R&B of the title track and "Treat Her Right" come across like a speedier Yardbirds. The feel's that close, but Denis Greaves and cohorts have the skill to pull it off. The group expresses their bluesier side on "Ain't Comin' Back" and the slow-burning "Sugar Mama," and also dips back into '50s-style roots rave-ups with a credible cover of "Rockin' Robin." "Helen"'s trebly poppiness offers another nice diversion, being a working stiff's plea to his anxious wife ("You're the one I'm thinking of/When I come home late from my job"). An unpretentious sense of humor also makes itself heard on the title track and "Liquor Lover," which chides a girlfriend who's too fond of the fizzy stuff (which is reminiscent of how Rockpile sent up overeating on their own "Knife and Fork"). Greaves' quest for authenticity occasionally falls flat; "Three Times Enough" is as barely disguised a rewrite of "The Train Kept a-Rollin'" as you'll ever hear. However, the group's enthusiasm is contagious in all the right places, as typified by its anthemic closer, "You Can't Please All the People All the Time." Don't let the revivalist tag stop you from putting this album in your collection. Allmusic

The combination of a huge desire to put out his own records, and friends including some of the best Norwegian punk rock musicians is the simple origin of The Tip Toppers. Not a band in the traditional sense, but singer, songwriter and mastermind Sindre Matres lovechild. He..s the undisputable leader, but working with musicians such as Morten Henriksen (The Yums Yums), Pål Andreassen (The Kwyet Kings) and Stig Amundsen (Gluecifer) means that The Tip Toppers appears more like a genuine ass kicking punk rock combo than some sad lonely fanatics wet dream. From being some sort of a lonely (and only) punk rock fan in his small hometown just outside of Oslo, Sindre has finally completed his goal; his own record. 2001 saw the release of the EP "The Tip Toppers", on the Norwegian label Sneakers. A 7-inch that sure made some waves, being among the favorite records of several radio stations and magazines throughout Europe, and a track on Screaming Apple's "Popgun 2000", there's no doubt that things been happening fast for Sindre and his Tip Toppers. Late 2002 saw the release of The Tip Toppers debut album "Packed to the rafters" on the Sounds of Subterrania label and fans once again got hit by a high speed cocktail of melodic punk rock. Again friends like Henriksen (guitar), Amundsen (bass), Andreassen (guitar) and drummer Bendiksen (drums) will turn up in studio for a sweaty session, helping out a good friend. Not out of pity, but because Sindre Matre is easily one of the best punk rock songwriters around. A 7" single called "All fired up" was out on Sneakers in Jan 2004. The Tip Toppers recorded the whole album "Subterranean Jungle" by Ramones as a tribute. This album was out in April 2004 through the Norwegian Ramones Fanclub. The 7" EP "Best night of your Life" with 4 songs was released on the label Burgess Shale in may 2004. Sindre released the 7" EP "Vision express" on Bootleg Booze in jan 06 with his other band The Incubators. This band features Stu Manx & Raldo Useless from the late Gluecifer, and Sindre and Ulf from The Tip Toppers.

The "Something Wild" songs are from two split singles ep , Tribute to the Flamin' Groovies , compilation Do The Dog Rds ,Tribute to Nikki Sudden , compil 7" ep four bands (Jungle noise Rds), cd Abus Dangereux , 10"Larsen records ...First thing you'll notice when getting exposed to the Shoo Chain Brothers on stage is ... me-o-my , a three guitar line-up. Gibson , Rickenbacker , Fender . What more can a rock'n'rollin' heart desire ? And they've got them loaded on to rhythm rhythm rhythm. Might as well say this band is a rhythm-bound . And they can go a high pace , too ."I'm not the singer, I'm an intertainer" says Gildas Cospérec, singer , sorry , entertainer , trucker , promoter , Raunch Hands aficionado , radio dj of taste extraordinaire ( and member of the "Dig It !" fanzine staff ...) . Surely compering the best radio show in southern France . Even playing our modest "Hartbeat !" flexi regularly . What can you want , if you 've got them played in between Big Chief and Mono Men ?

Second thing you notice is where they derive their motivation from .They certainly won't give you a bad time , because any band that plays the Roulettes' "Bad time" can't be wrong . I haven't got a degree in metallurgy but I guess in case you're melting 60s iron and 80s copper you get solid 90s bronze . Shoo Chain Bros. do . Hard but warm . Rough but fair . " It's chance that makes brothers , but it's hearts that makes friends" , Von Bülow once wrote. Wrong , the Shoo Chain Brothers prove it's just the opposite . HJK - Hartbeat # 15Thanks to Gildas for music & scans !

The Vikings are Steve Baise from the Devil Dolls , Morten Henriksen of the Cosmic Dropouts & the Yum Yum's & Happy Tom and Thomas Dahl from Turbonegro !!! What a band !

First off, the Vikings get massive points for their knowledge of history and word origins. The word berserk is from the old Norse, meaning the Vikings' greatest warriors, a suitably forbidding painting of whom serves as the album's cover. However, the group doesn't really do justice to either band name or album title; the ramalama {punk-pop} of "Go Berserk!" is unfailingly entertaining in the best Ramones/Undertones tradition, but it's not nearly wild-eyed enough to live up to the billing. Let's just point out that one of the Norwegian band's best songs is actually a cover of the Bay City Rollers hit "Let's Go" Covers of Cheap Trick's anthem "Surrender" and "Just Head" by the Boston punk obscurities the Nervous Eaters are also worthy additions to poppy originals like "My Friend's Little Sister" and "Summer of Hate". This compilation, gathering just about everything the short-lived group recorded, is a guaranteed fun time. ~ Stewart Mason- All Music Guide